The Street Zero Fund helps people who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping, by showing kindness and paying for things they need to help them move away from a life on the streets. The important thing here is what “they” need, which may not be what you or I need.

All the money donated to the Street Zero Fund goes to help the person.

Anyone can donate to the Street Zero Fund – no matter what the amount! By coming together our pennies can become pounds. Everyone can show they care and help make a difference to end rough sleeping in Newcastle.

The Street Zero Emergency Fund is an open invitation to encourage everyone seeking to donate to give towards a collective fund. Ensuring a long-term safe solution by transforming the rough sleepers plight. Rather than giving one-off handouts to people on the streets.

Remember nobody will be issued with cash, only the purchased goods or services

What the Street Zero Fund

doesn’t pay for

It doesn’t give cash or money directly to people rough sleeping.

It doesn’t pay for people rough sleeping to stay in accommodation such as bed and breakfast or hotels. You can find out more about the existing accommodation available for homeless people in Newcastle.

Who decides how your donation is spent and how do individuals sleeping rough

get the help?

Money donated to the Street Zero Fund is channelled to local nominated services and charities working directly with people sleeping on the streets who are then able to use donations to purchase items and services on behalf of the people most in need.

Every Penny

None of the donations to the Street Zero Fund are used for administration or other types of costs. These costs are met by partners of the Street Zero Partnership Board – this means that after the deduction of the 5% fee that goes to JustGiving, every penny received goes to helping the people that need it.

What's happening here in Newcastle today

Why we believe we can end

rough sleeping in Newcastle

We believe that rough sleeping is not inevitable. We believe that by working better together we can prevent people from sleeping rough in the first place, and where we fail to prevent a crisis from occurring, we can help people by providing a better alternative to a life on the streets.

Newcastle is a city that cares. This is seen in the compassion showed by residents and people who live and work in the city, the businesses that take their corporate social responsibility seriously, and the many public and third sector organisations who are already working in partnership towards ending homelessness.

Street Zero aims to build on this compassion and established partnership, working to further develop practical actions to alleviate disadvantage and suffering so that no one needs to sleep rough.

We believe that by working together we can achieve our ambition for Newcastle to be a city where no one needs to sleep rough.

Rough sleeping in numbers

This varies from zero people at its lowest, to 20 people at its highest, on any given one night. Every morning numbers found sleeping rough are monitored, offered breakfast, showers and laundry facilities. Although these numbers are lower than in many other cities, we believe that even one person sleeping on the streets is one too many.

Remember there are already over 700 commission funded bed spaces in the city

There are several people on the streets of Newcastle who are not rough sleeping but who are begging. This does not mean that they don’t need help, as in most cases they do. There are many different reasons why people beg: mental and emotional ill health, relationship breakdown, bullying and exploitation, financial problems and addictions.

Help for people

rough sleeping

If you see someone sleeping rough you can let the Council know by
e-mailing [email protected] or you can call our Rough Sleeping Helpline on 0191 278 3899 and we will take action to offer help and assistance.

The Street Outreach Team will contact the person as soon as possible to determine their circumstances and offer advice and support, however this public reporting line is not an emergency response service and if there are serious concerns about a person’s immediate health or welfare then contact should be made with the emergency services.

The Council’s website provides more advice on issues relating to housing, being at risk of homelessness and rough sleeping.

Cold weather procedure

During the winter months, the Council and its partners make additional plans to mitigate the effects of the cold weather on people who are sleeping rough on nights where the temperature is 0˚c or lower over three consecutive nights.

This includes extending opening times of drop-in facilities and ensuring that every person verified as sleeping rough is made an offer of accommodation or reconnected back to the area they came from.